What Is the Definition of Web Hosting?

Millions, if not hundreds of millions, of websites make up the World Wide Web used by billions of people every day. Each of these sites resides on a web host somewhere. Let's explore the definition of web hosting as well as some features, benefits and considerations about hosting files on the Internet.

Function

Despite the bells and whistles that make various web hosts attractive to website owners, all web hosts serve one basic purpose: to host files accessible on the Internet. By serving files from a powerful processor with sufficient memory to handle dozens or hundreds of simultaneous requests, web hosts remove the task of serving files from the residential or small business Internet subscriber and place that task in the hands of web professionals with powerful file-serving machines.

These machines, many of which host dozens of websites on a single server, are configured to accept incoming connections and direct those queries to the appropriate destination. This function is achieved by binding an Internet Protocol (IP) address and domain name to a website on the server, and routing traffic tagged for that domain name or IP address to the corresponding site.

Types

Web hosting can be performed by virtually any machine with sufficient storage and memory resources, but most web servers fall into two basic types: Windows and UNIX. Windows servers make use of Microsoft's Windows Server operating system (OS), a system designed to run professional file server functionality in an environment much like the familiar Windows desktop system. UNIX systems, conversely, feature graphical interfaces and functionality similar to Windows but employ the powerful networking capabilities inherent to UNIX to quickly and easily connect and operate the server.

A further subdivision of the types of web servers is centered around the hosting environment itself. Many small businesses and individuals choose shared web hosting, as this arrangement allows the cost of the server to be shared with the other sites hosted on that machine. Although Windows and UNIX servers can successfully serve files for multiple websites, some large companies or high-traffic sites may choose a "dedicated server" hosting arrangement. On a dedicated server, all of the server's resources are focused on a single website; this focus of processor and memory capabilities allows large websites--like eBay, Google or YouTube--to operate unimpeded.

Features

While some web hosts are very straightforward, offering only a command-line interface for uploading and serving files, many web hosts use graphical "control panel" interfaces to make the server's full potential available to the website owner. These interfaces can allow the website owner to easily enable such functionality as FTP file serving, script installation (for functionality such as forums, chat rooms and content management systems) and error logging.

Geography

Web hosts can be located in practically any country on any continent around the globe. As long as the server has the required power and bandwidth (Internet connectivity) to support web traffic, there are no geographical limits on web hosting. It is a common occurrence for websites owned by American companies or individuals to be hosted on a server in Europe or Asia, and American servers commonly host files and sites owned by foreign entities. In addition, popular file-sharing services routinely "mirror" their sites on servers on other continents in order to reduce network latency.

Effects

The proliferation of websites and Internet services is largely due to the accessibility of web hosting. As prices have declined--making shared hosting affordable by even the smallest business or individuals--websites and services have flourished.